


A Marine Family Christmas

by DeepBlueJoy



Category: NCIS
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Explicit Language, Gen, M/M, NFA Secret Santa 2016, Sexual Tension, Slash, casefile
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 06:54:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9167188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeepBlueJoy/pseuds/DeepBlueJoy
Summary: Dinozzo's daughter Tali goes missing after a violent attack at her day care provider's and Gibbs allows him back to help. Their adventure in the wilds of West Virginia gets both complicated and dangerous.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [K9Lasko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/K9Lasko/gifts).



**A Marine Family Christmas**

(Tony/Gibbs, rated for language)

 

Tony pulled the toast from the double-sized toaster and placed it on the plate along with the turkey bacon and eggs he’d discovered his daughter loved. His _daughter_. God, that idea still wasn’t making any sense. It had been nearly seven months and he’d bonded to Tali so thoroughly, he couldn’t imagine what life had been without her. Especially after all that had happened. 

The unreality of it kept hitting him at odd moments. Like this morning, in the massive kitchen of a house he had never even really dreamed of owning. Ziva had taken care of it all. Her will had been specific. Her entire estate was to go to her daughter, administered by her daughter’s father. Which was him. Since her estate included her father’s entire estate, it was substantial. Ziva’s will, oddly, had been filed in Washington, DC, not Israel, though copies had been on file there as well. She’d kept it simple, naming him executor, with Abby as back-up, if for some reason he hadn’t survived her. 

It was almost as if she’d expected to die young. Their job had been dangerous but Ziva had removed herself as thoroughly from their world as was possible for someone like her. She’d taught martial arts at a small gym a few miles from the house she’d shared with Tali. She’d cut herself off from everyone in her old life. Everything Mossad. Everything NCIS. Everything dangerous. Yet, of course, she was still dead. Maybe that was it. Maybe she’d known that the enemies they’d made were just too dangerous not to prepare for any eventuality. 

He still hadn’t forgiven her for not telling him about his daughter. Or, ya know, for being dead.

Initially, he’d decided to be a stay at home dad, but it had taken exactly one month of life with only a toddler for company before he’d realized that stir-crazy dad wasn’t going to be happy dad; and a tense and unhappy dad bogged down in his own grief only made it harder for his daughter to grieve and to bond to him. Her therapist had also insisted she needed the company of other children. ‘Normalcy’ she’d called it. Tali, though he didn’t admit it to the therapist, actually seemed to be doing better than he was. This was part of why he’d decided that working at least part time was a good thing for both him and his daughter. 

 

______________

 

As he drove the four miles to Carla’s house in the White Oak suburb of Silver Spring, he thought just how lucky he’d been in finding someone to take care of Tali on his days teaching at the university. Finding the right person to take care of his daughter had been a challenge. Then, she’d turned out to be only a few miles away, an easy detour from the College Park campus. 

Tony’s problem had not only been that he was he a single parent, but that he’d only had one friend with children. He asked Jimmy. Jimmy asked everyone he knew. Tony had interviewed nannies and day care providers, all highly recommended. He hadn’t liked any of them. His father had called his search an obsession, but Tony had shrugged that particular comment off, considering the source. His father’s parenting had left everything to be desired. 

Finally, Tony had known he’d found the right one. Carla Shaw; Marine. She’d grown up on a small farm in West Virginia; hunting, farming and learning how to take care of herself and others. Learning to be responsible; resourceful and _kind_. Then she’d graduated from WVU School of Engineering and done two tours in Iraq.

When Abby had suggested her, he’d had a good feeling about it. He’d met her and immediately wondered just what it was that had made her quit when she clearly had a promising career ahead of her. Then he’d met her daughter. Her adopted Iraqi daughter. The daughter of her translator, and the only surviving member of his family. Nami was the reason a successful Marine with an engineering background, who had a stellar career ahead of her, would abruptly leave the service and become of all things, a daycare provider. 

As he crested the rise that revealed the stretch of street where Carla’s house was located, Tony’s blood ran cold. In the driveway; and on the lawn of her house, emergency vehicles of various kinds were haphazardly arrayed in a manner that suggested only ugliness. Even as he pulled up behind the Montgomery County Police cruiser, he caught sight of a familiar van in the rear view. Ducky and Jimmy. Someone was dead. Someone connected with the Navy or Marines. Carla! Oh God, please let Tali be all right. His first instinct was to bolt toward the house. He forced himself to breathe, pushing back the too familiar feelings of panic that had dogged him since he learned of Ziva’s death. He made himself release the death grip on the steering wheel and extricated himself from the car. 

“Tony!” Jimmy smiled instinctively, glad to see his friend. Then he grimaced, his kind face turning immediately concerned. “Wait! What are you doing here?”

“Carla… She was a Marine. Please don’t tell me she’s dead… she… takes care of my daughter,” said Tony. “Is she…”

“We don’t know about her, I’m afraid,” said Ducky. “There are two dead Marines in the house. Neither is female, Tony.”

“That’s good. But where are they?” said Tony. “I gotta find my daughter, Ducky.”

He turned and ran for the house.

“Tony, no!” said Ducky. 

Jimmy took off after him as fast as he could, but Tony was already at the door.

“You can’t come in here,” said the very large gray-haired officer at the door.

“My daughter’s in there,” said Tony.

“I’m sorry,” said the man, “It’s a crime scene. You aren’t law enforcement.”

“Dinozzo? What are you doing here?” Gibbs was at the door.

“Gibbs, Tali…”

“She isn’t in there, Tony,” said Gibbs, putting a firm hand on Tony’s shoulder and steering him away from the house.

“Carla…”

“Is missing,” said Gibbs. “She and her daughter… and now we have to assume, Tali at minimum, as well…”

“They’re missing? How much of a head start do the kidnappers have? Why would they take my daughter?”

“We aren’t sure. When Ducky gives us time of death, we’ll know more. The neighbor was walking her dog and noticed the front door was wide open. She knew that Lt Shaw would never leave it unlocked. When she saw the house had been shot up and blood on the driveway, she called the police. They called us.”

“Blood on the driveway… That means one of them is hurt, Gibbs!” said Tony. “Where is my daughter?”

“We don’t know,” said Gibbs. “I’m sorry, Tony.”

“Excuse me, you Tony Dinozzo?” asked an older plain clothes officer who had come up behind them.

“Yes,” said Tony. “Have you found my daughter?”

The man didn’t answer his question. “Can you tell us why Miss Shaw would have been calling you?” The suspicion was clear on his face.

“Me?” Tony frowned.

“Your number is the last one she called,” said the officer, sounding almost accusing.

“Well, she does take care of my daughter,” said Tony. “She must have called my land line when I was on my way here. I haven’t talked to her since this morning.”

“We’ll need to hear that message,” said the police officer.

“I—,” Tony began.

“We don’t know there’s a message,” said Gibbs, his voice quiet, but hard. “Actually, Detective Brown, this is now our case. We will deal with it as we see fit.” 

“But this isn’t a military case,” Detective Brown protested.

“We have two dead Marines inside. A Marine reserve officer and her daughter, and the daughter of two former NCIS agents are missing. The case could have national security implications. This is our case,” Gibbs stated in a tone that brooked no compromise.

“You’re saying maybe this was more than a home invasion? You think she was kidnapped?”

“We aren’t going to make guesses about anything until we’ve reviewed the evidence, detective.”

“About that,” said Tony. “Can I look inside, Gibbs? I might see something. I was here this morning.”

“He’s not law enforcement,” said the officer.

“He used to work for me,” said Gibbs. “He won’t contaminate _our_ crime scene.”

“How do we know he’s not involved?” 

The officer’s voice had the desperate quality of someone who had lost control of a situation and didn’t know just what to do about it.

“You suggesting he kidnapped his own daughter?” asked Gibbs.

“You never know with these custody matters.”

The man’s tone was laconic, mocking.

“Tali’s mother is dead,” said Gibbs flatly.

The man’s face fell. Then lit up again as he found another landmine to poke. 

“How did she die?” 

Gibbs’ eyes narrowed.

“In an explosion,” said Gibbs before Tony could respond. The man tried to interject, but Gibbs kept talking. “In _Israel_. Dinozzo was here. Working a case. _With me_. He didn’t even know he had a daughter until after Ziva…” Gibbs’ voice hitched, suddenly full of emotion that stunned Tony. Gibbs turned and walked away.

Tony stayed uncharacteristically quiet. What more could he add? He followed Gibbs.

________

 

“What do you see?” asked Gibbs.

Tony looked around. “Nothing. I mean, the place is trashed, boss. Someone, probably more than one person, shot up the place real good, but I don’t think anything’s missing except for her laptop. I don’t think this was a home invasion robbery, Gibbs. Anyway, I don’t think they got a chance to search the place before they died. If they were trying to rob her, I’m thinking they failed,” said Tony. “I think this… Well, this looks more like they were here to hurt someone… or kidnap someone.”

“I think you’re right,” said Gibbs. 

A neat row of holes along the wall of the front room suggested that someone had sprayed the room with automatic fire before entering. They’d sprayed into the house, blind, with no thought to who might get hurt, but clearly the intent had been there. The holes were all approximately chest height. 

“And these people have my daughter,” said Tony, grimly. “And they have Carla and _her_ daughter. Does anyone know if there were any other kids here?”

“I think your Tali was the last pick up, Tony,” said Gibbs. “At least, according to this notebook I found. We’ll call them all and make sure, of course.”

“She keeps good records,” said Tony, looking the book over. “She’s totally an engineer at heart.”

“An engineer? Why would she run a day care?”

“She promised her translator she’d take care of his daughter,” said Tony. “I think… Well, she didn’t say much about it, but I think she felt she owed his family a debt.”

And, she’s like me. She saw too much and lost too many people. She couldn’t do it anymore.

“I understand,” said Gibbs, studying Tony until Tony looked away, feeling vulnerable, exposed. 

________

 

Gibbs made his way into autopsy where the bodies of both dead Marines lay, faces and genitals covered by blue modesty cloths. One autopsy was in progress.

“What do you have for me, Ducky?” said Gibbs.

“I’m going to put time of death at about 3 hours ago – about an hour before we found them at the house,” said Ducky. “Whoever killed them is one hell of a fighter.”

“You think it’s possible for the lieutenant to kill both of them on her own without a weapon?” Gibbs asked.

Ducky eyed Gibbs thoughtfully, before speaking.

“Well, yes, I do believe so. And Jethro, if it was her, she did have a weapon, probably a combat knife, judging by the hilt marks. Maybe she took it off one of them, but that would be speculation on my part. In any case, as long as she got the drop on at least one of them or fought them separately for some reason… Yes, I suspect she could do it, Jethro. She’s a trained Marine and assailants as big as these chaps tend to underestimate women, especially small ones,” said Ducky. 

“Whoever killed Sylvan here got the drop on him from behind. I’m reasonably certain he was killed first. My guess is she was on the stairs. See the marks on his shoulder here? The killer tried to slit his throat from behind and he got his hands between the knife and his throat. The slashes on his hand are consistent with defensive wounds. Those were made by someone who didn’t hesitate at all – they’re deep and the cut was made fast, probably someone with considerable training. If his reaction hadn’t been as fast as it was, he would have been dead almost instantly instead of gravely wounded. The height difference would have made things difficult for a female, especially with a trained assailant, but I suspect she knew she didn’t have much of a chance if she didn’t go for it. He must have seen or heard her at the last minute or maybe his partner warned him and then they ended up in hand to hand.” 

“That’s consistent with the mess where we found the body. They trashed that part of the room.”

“Yes, the body has glass cuts from the broken cabinet. Anyway, somehow she – if we’re assuming for now it was her – she got her combat knife up under the sternum and penetrated his aorta,” said Ducky. “That’s cause of death.”

“Good,” said Gibbs. 

“Let’s hope she didn’t get too badly hurt in the process. It was a brutal fight. We found foreign blood on his body. Abby’s testing it.”

“Someone was definitely injured. The blood type in the driveway doesn’t match these two.”

“We just have to hope they need her alive,” said Ducky. 

“Let’s hope.” 

“Ramsay here is more interesting,” said Ducky.

“Interesting how?” said Gibbs.

“His throat was cut post mortem,” said Ducky. “As if whoever killed him wanted to make sure he was dead.”

“You’re certain of this?” Gibbs asked. 

“There was no arterial spurt at the scene, Gibbs. The blow to his head killed him. A dumbbell. It was probably thrown.”

“She killed him with a thrown dumbbell?” asked Gibbs. “Because this is pointing to a different conclusion besides kidnapping.”

“The rest of the evidence will tell us, but as you know, there are no signs of anyone else in the house, Jethro. Unless they knocked her out and took her and the children…”

“Then it’s possible,” said Gibbs. “That she’s in hiding.”

“It’s quite possible,” said Ducky.

______

 

“What did you find?” asked Gibbs without preamble.

“Well, you were right,” said Bishop. “Some of her things appear to be missing but there’s no sign that anyone else but her was in the room. It doesn’t look searched, just as if someone packed fast. The gun safe was empty. The only thing left inside was an empty ammo box. We had a hell of a time finding it, too, Gibbs. It was in her bedroom closet behind her clothes. I doubt the bad guys would have found it without trashing the room. The bedroom door was locked. It has the kind of lock that automatically locks you out when the door closes – like the kind you find on exterior doors in apartment buildings sometimes – it even has an automatic door closer.”

“It’s probably a safety measure since she runs a day care. She clearly didn’t want any of the children entering her room by accident. With the placement of her safe, her weapons would have been secure, even if one of the children ever got into her room,” said McGee.

“I like the way she thinks,” said Gibbs.

_________

 

“Carla?” her mother rushed from the large open kitchen to the front door where her only daughter stood, looking beat up and dead on her feet. “What happened?”

“I was attacked,” said Carla. “I can’t stay here. I just need… I need supplies. And you and dad need to go stay in town with Grammie and maybe ask Gray and Ted to bring Lou-Anne and Sue and the children and stay with you too.”

“OK, you sound paranoid.”

“I am paranoid,” said Carla. “The only reason I came here is that I think they’re gonna come here anyway and I wanted to warn you. I didn’t want to call in case they were listening.”

“Come and eat something and tell me everything,” said her mother.

“I can’t. I have the kids…”

“You brought Nami with you?”

“Nami and Tali – Tali’s one of my clients’ kids,” said Carla. “I don’t know who they were, but they sent men to kill me and maybe to take them. They were Marines.”

“Oh honey!” said her mother. “Why don’t you go to the police?”

“No! I… I already left a message for someone who can fix this…”

“You left a message?”

“Tali’s father. He’s – he used to be an NCIS agent. He’s a smart guy.”

“You _took_ an NCIS agent’s _daughter_?” asked her mother in that stern tone of voice only a mother knows how to apply.

She nodded, sheepish, but also resolute. “I had to, mom. They’re in the truck. They fell asleep. Help me bring them in, please. I think I bought us a few hours. I hope I bought us a few hours.”

“What did you do?”

“I killed them,” said Carla, flatly. “They came into my house where I take care of children and they shot it up.”

“Oh god,” said her mother. “They could have killed you… all of you.”

“Nami hid Tali in the basement while I was fighting them,” said Carla. “She’s my hero.”

“I’m glad you got the bastards, sweetie. Nami is a brave young lady!” said a new voice.

“Daddy!” 

Carla turned to see her father standing in the doorway.

“What’s going on, Carlie?” He stepped outside and wrapped his big arms around both his wife and daughter.

“I don’t know, daddy,” said Carla, relaxing for the first time since the whole thing began. “Someone’s after us. They’re Marines.”

“Well, that’s just… Wrong.”

“Yeah,” said Carla. “I’m sorry I came… I’m sorry I brought this here.”

“Don’t be silly, girl, where else would you go?” said her father.

“Your father’s right, we’ll figure it out. Let’s get you fed and cleaned up. You look like you went ten rounds with Rocky,” said her mom.

“I _feel_ like I went ten rounds with Rocky, mom,” said Carla, turning to look at herself in the large antique mirror by the door. “Oh damn!”

The image gazing back stunned her. The bruises on her face and arms had blossomed in the hours it had taken her to drive from Silver Spring to their rural West Virginia farm. The cut over her eye was no longer bleeding, but the clot formed an ugly reddish black blob that made it look even worse than it was. Her shirt was caked with dried blood and her hair was sticky with it too.

“Go, take a shower! You need clothes?”

“I brought a couple changes in the car. Didn’t really have time to do more than grab stuff for the girls and throw a few things in a bag.”

“You have weapons?” 

“I do,” said Carla.

“Good. I have some ammo if you need it,” said her father. 

“Let the child get cleaned up, Lenny. We’ll figure it all out after they’ve had something to eat.”

“Of course, honey,” said Lenny Shaw obediently. “Oh Helen; looks like our little girl has a fight on her hands!”

“ _We_ have a fight on our hands,” said Helen.

“Got that right!”

__________

 

**NCIS Headquarters**

 

They were listening to the message that they had retrieved from Tony’s voice mail.

“I don’t have a lot of time, Tony, but I have Tali. She’s safe for now. The three of us... I have to go. I don’t know who’s after us, but you need to figure it out… I don’t know who else I can trust… These guys who shot up the house… they’re Marines, Tony. Pretty sure they’re active duty. Never met them before. No idea why they tried to kill me... Shit, I think someone’s called the cops. I gotta get out of here. Don’t try to find me. I promise I’ll keep her safe, Tony. I’ll be in touch in a few days. Please… I don’t know if they’re after Tali or Nami… or me… but I am pretty sure there’s more of them. Crap!”

The call ended abruptly.

“That’s it?” said Vance.

“That’s it,” said Tony. “For whatever reason, she didn’t feel she could call the police.”

“She probably thought they’d hold her for killing two Marines,” said Bishop.

“Maybe,” said Gibbs. “Maybe she was afraid that taking time to sort it out would give whoever it was time to mount a second attempt.

“There’s something we’re not seeing,” said Vance. “You sure you don’t know why they could be after her?”

“Me? I don’t know why they’d be after her. She has an excellent record – both in the military and since. It’s why I picked her,” said Tony, suddenly feeling defensive.

“What about Tali?”

“What about her, McGee?” asked Tony.

“She’s the granddaughter of the former head of the Mossad,” said Vance.

“It would be simpler to come to my house,” said Tony. 

“Unless this was about revenge, about causing you the pain of losing your daughter,” said McGee.

“Yeah, then they’d have me on their ass,” said Tony grimly.

“You’re thinking the people who killed Ziva… but they’re dead, McGee,” said Vance.

“Other than Kort, we don’t know that for sure, sir. Ziva had a lot of enemies,” said McGee, shrugging. “Anyway, it’s just one possibility.”

“You really think this is about me?” said Tony.

McGee shrugged. 

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” said Vance. “We don’t know what this Lt. Shaw was into.”

“I don’t think she’s _into_ anything,” said Tony, glaring at Vance.

“We still don’t know why she would quit such a promising career,” said Vance, evenly.

“She has a young child to raise,” said Tony, quietly. “She was the only survivor of an attack that killed both of the girl’s parents. She swore to protect her and she brought her home to familiar surroundings. Carla’s own family is only about an hour and a half away…”

“That does make sense,” said Vance. “Now, we just have to figure out who’s after her and keep her alive so she can fulfill that promise. And get your daughter home safe, of course.”

“Thank you sir,” said Tony.

 

____________

 

**Vance’s Office, fifteen minutes later**

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to take Dinozzo with you?” asked Vance.

“You think I could stop him from going on his own?” asked Gibbs.

“No, I suppose not,” said Vance. 

“OK, then,” said Gibbs, more relieved than he probably should have been.

“Just try to remember he’s not part of your team anymore, Gibbs,” said Vance.

“He’s still an asset,” said Gibbs, tightly.

“An asset with an emotional involvement, who has been through hell in the last six months,” said Vance. “Even before Ziva…”

“Yes Leon,” said Gibbs. “I know. That’s part of why he needs to come.”

“Well, we’re still shorthanded, so against my better judgment, you have a go.”

 

_________

 

In the morning sun, the farm appeared deserted, though it was obviously still operational. Everything seemed well-used, but also properly cared for, and nothing seemed particularly out of place. Everyone had just, inexplicably, stepped away. Gibbs tried the door. It was unlocked. He stepped inside. Tony followed him in. There was nothing remarkable. Again, nothing out of place; maybe a bit too much so, if anything.

“I thought this was her parents’ home,” said Tony, frowning.

“Maybe she warned them,” said Gibbs, raising the lid of the kitchen trash can. It was empty. It smelled slightly of Lysol. 

“Maybe,” said Tony. 

“Someone cleaned up,” said Gibbs, opening the fridge briefly. It wasn’t empty, but it seemed much less full than it should be. There was little if anything left inside that would spoil in a hurry. “As if they were going away for a while.”

“Sure looks that way,” said Tony. “Wow.”

Gibbs joined Tony by the mantelpiece. There were photographs of various ages of several different men – and one woman, Carla Shaw – all in Marine dress uniform. 

“Marine family.” 

Gibbs sounded pleased.

“You’re not kidding,” said Tony, smiling at Gibbs.

“Well, there’s one more address on Bishop’s list,” said Gibbs, turning away from the display almost reluctantly.

“The grandmother’s house in town,” said Tony. “Let’s hope we find it before the bad guys do.”

“Let’s hope.”

 

________

 

The old house was set back from the street a bit on a large lot that was surrounded by eight foot wooden fencing on three sides, and beautiful old wrought iron on the front. The row of nearly invisible wire on top and the neatly planted garden that Gibbs could see from the front, suggested all this was mostly to keep out deer. Still, this house was a lot more defensible from a sneak attack than the farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, with thick woods on one side and mountains in back. There was a light on in the front room but they couldn’t see inside. Even though there was no storm in the offing, the heavy, old-fashioned wooden storm shutters were closed over every window of the house. Tony and Gibbs unlatched the gate and made their way up the walkway warily. Before they knocked, the front door opened and a man of about thirty stood there, his shotgun held steadily at Gibbs’ chest.

“State your business,” he said.

“NCIS,” said Gibbs, raising the badge he had ready in his hand.

“Gray, check his badge,” said the man with the shotgun.

Another man, who looked to Tony like a male clone of Carla, perhaps a couple years younger, stepped past the man with the shotgun and took the badge, examining it carefully before handing it back. Tony noticed he limped just a little. Prosthetic leg, he guessed.

“Looks like the real thing, Joe. What about you?” 

Blue eyes examined and assessed. Tony couldn’t help but fidget in spite of willing himself not to.

“Did I pass?” he drawled.

“Dunno yet. You’re not NCIS.”

“Used to be. My name is Tony Dinozzo. I’m here about my daughter Tali. I’m a client of Carla’s… That’s your sister, right?” 

He handed the man his wallet, with his driver’s license showing.

“Let them in, Joe,” said another male voice from inside the house. “We can always shoot them if they aren’t who they say they are.”

Gibbs and Tony exchanged looks. Tony fought the urge to smile.

“We promise you won’t have to shoot us,” said Tony. “We’re the good guys.”

“We don’t know that. It’s not like Marines didn’t try to kill our sister,” said the younger man. “We don’t like it when people go after our own.”

“I’m getting that,” said Gibbs. “She here?”

“We’re not telling you a thing,” said the man named Joe.

“Not even if we tell you there’s people after your sister who are probably going to try to kill her or the girls, or both?” asked Tony.

“We already figured out that part _all_ by ourselves,” said the younger man shutting the sturdy old door behind them, and bolting it.

“You really think they won’t find her…” said Tony. “We’ve already found you.”

“We aren’t hiding,” said Lenny. “She is.”

“So you think a woman by herself somewhere is safer than she would be with us protecting her?”

“Find whoever is after her… or after your daughter,” said Lenny. “Until then, we’re not telling you anything.”

“You’re gonna keep my daughter from me?”

“That’s kidnapping,” said Gibbs.

“Put us all in jail,” said a middle aged woman with a flowered apron and a resolute look. “Even momma’s not gonna tell you anything. Doubt Karl Baker would lock us up anyway. He’s still sweet on Carlie.”

She grinned at her husband who smiled back. These people weren’t going to be easy. Tony sighed.

That was when Gibbs’ phone rang. “Gibbs.” Gibbs said nothing else. He just listened. Tony’s anxiety mounted as the line of Gibbs mouth hardened. “Right. I’ll tell them.”

“Tell us what?” said Joe.

“Your other son is at the hospital. He’s been shot.”

“Fuck,” said Joe. “Is he… Did they find…”

“He’s not dead. No, the rangers haven’t found any sign of either your sister or the girls,” said Gibbs. “We’re not sure how the bad guys found them, but either he or your sister shot one of them. Hikers found his body at the bottom of a ravine.”

“Good!” said Helen.

Tony gave Gibbs a look that said ‘Who are these people?’ Gibbs simply cocked his head and gave a half smile. As far as Gibbs was concerned, this family was the best break they’d had all morning. He still wasn’t sure that running had been the best idea for the young lieutenant, but whoever was after her was clearly not giving up. He got the feeling this family wouldn’t give up either.

“We gotta go,” said Gray. “Told you we should have gone with them.”

“She didn’t want you to go, son,” said Helen. “Because you’ve got families.”

“She’s our family too, mom,” said Gray.

“You’re not going with us. It’s too dangerous,” said Gibbs. “We’ve got back-up coming by helo.”

“If you want to find her in the hills before the bad guys do, you’re gonna need us,” said Joe. 

“We’re not taking civilians with us,” said Gibbs, knowing that would get a reaction.

“Just me and Joe. We don’t even know you can trust your back-up.”

“No,” said Gibbs.

“You have him.” Gray gestured at Tony. “He’s a civilian. You need someone who knows the area and we’re not taking anyone else up the mountain.”

“It’s not up for discussion. He’s not a civilian. Tony was the best man on my team until six months ago,” said Gibbs. “He only retired because his daughter’s mother died.”

“Oh,” said Joe. “Sorry, man.”

Tony inclined his head.

“We’re Marines. All of us. Including dad,” said Gray. 

“Mom won the local sniper challenge three years in a row,” said Joe, beaming with pride. 

“Nice,” said Gibbs.

“And grannie’s a sharpshooter too?” quipped Tony.

“No, but I grew up hunting,” said a wiry older woman who Tony hadn’t even noticed enter the room. “I taught all my girls to take care of themselves after my husband died in Vietnam. They all passed it on… though Helen’s the only one who raised five Marines.” 

“She’s the only one who married one,” said Lenny.

“Gibbs is a Marine,” Tony began. “He’s a…”

“No time for this,” said Gibbs, cutting Tony off. “Only taking one of you. Pick now and grab whatever you need. We leave in fifteen minutes.”

 

___________

 

They rendezvoused with the helicopter at the local high school football field ten minutes later. Gibbs was on the phone with McGee while they waited. 

Once they were aboard, Tony tried to keep his anxiety down by asking questions.

“You’re sure you can find her?” asked Tony. 

“No,” said Joe. “I’m not. I know only in general where she was going. We figured it was for the best and we knew she would probably have to keep on the move, even with the kids. We spent a lot of summers up there. I do know her favorite spots. I know the good places to make a stand. She was a great officer and I know how she thinks.”

“Well, that’s a start, I guess,” said Tony, his gut unclenching just a little. This was the longest he’d been away from Tali since her arrival and the fear hadn’t left him for a moment. He couldn’t lose her. He couldn’t lose anyone else. “I just don’t know how she’s gonna navigate this kind of terrain with two small children.”

“Yeah, that’s why we sent Blackie with her. Two of them could move a lot faster,” said Joe. “But I know my sister. She’ll carry them both if she has to.”

“You’re proud of her,” said Tony.

“Yup,” said Joe, inclining his head. “First of us to graduate college. First officer in the family.”

“Nice,” said Tony. “I always wondered why she left the Corps… but Nami.”

Tony shrugged as if that explained it all. Joe nodded; a half smile on his face.

“Yeah. Family first,” said Joe. “Haron and Sara were family to Carla, especially after... She wasn’t gonna leave a five year old in that hellhole.”

“Family is important,” said Tony. 

“Family is everything. This is as far as we should go,” said Joe. “This clearing up ahead there… This is the best we’re gonna do for a landing site for a bunch of miles.”

“How far…” Tony began.

Joe just shook his head. It was clear he didn’t even trust the pilots.

“Take it down,” said Gibbs. 

“Here?” The pilot asked. “We’re in the middle of…”

“Here,” said Gibbs. “That clearing up ahead. That’s the best place to put down.”

 

________

 

Joe said nothing as the sound of rotors faded. He checked his well-worn pack and shouldered it, adjusting it just a little. Then he picked up his weapon and began to walk nearly soundlessly along the scrubby, rocky ridge. The ridge dropped away and the men found themselves walking in a rocky crevasse.

“How far in do you think they are?” asked Tony. They’d been walking for nearly an hour, keeping up a brutal pace, all uphill.

“That depends on how far my brother got with them before they were found.”

“I don’t know how she’s managing with two small children out here,” said Tony.

“Have faith, Mr. Dinozzo!” said Joe. “She’ll guard them with her life.”

“I really hope it doesn’t come down to that,” said Tony. “Please call me Tony.”

“Trust me, neither do we,” said Joe. “OK… Tony.”

“There’s blood here,” said Gibbs. “Someone tried to cover it with dirt and leaves.”

“Does that mean she’s close by?” asked Tony.

“Not necessarily,” said Gibbs, squatting down so he could examine the area more carefully. “The blood is dry. It’s probably been quite a few hours.”

“I wish we’d gotten a chance to talk to my brother before they took him into surgery,” said Joe. 

“They couldn’t believe he’d walked out of the forest with an abdominal wound and driven himself to the hospital in his condition,” said Tony.

“Yeah, he’s one strong bastard,” said Joe, his bass a quiet buzz. 

“Apparently, it runs in the family,” said Tony.

“We do what needs done,” said Joe. 

“See, Boss? Now you know why I chose his sister to take care of Tali?”

“I do,” said Gibbs.

_________

 

_“Capitol Hill hearings about Iraqi village massacre scheduled for January 2nd.”_

McGee stared at his computer.

“What did you find?” asked Bishop, looking over his shoulder.

“I think I know why they’re after her.”

“Good, because stopping them without knowing why they were after her wasn’t going to be easy,” said Bishop. 

“Yeah, well, maybe we can give her family a little Christmas present,” said McGee. 

“I think surviving to the New Year would be a great present,” said Bishop, smiling.

“You bet!” said McGee. 

_________

 

The tree cover grew heavier and the terrain became even steeper and more challenging. Joe led the way, still setting a fast pace. Gibbs brought up the rear, moving so quietly, that Tony found himself looking back to assure himself he was still there. After about three hours of moving way faster than any hike he’d ever been on, Tony was beginning to have difficulties. His arms and back were already feeling the ache of carrying an unfamiliar, heavy pack and weapons. His very expensive, but nearly new hiking boots were beginning hurt too. They’d clearly been designed for gentle walks in the park, not headlong races over rough terrain trying to stay ahead of unknown enemies. Tony knew he should ask them to slow the pace, but he was eager to get to his daughter and he was damned if he would show any weakness, particularly when Gibbs was showing no signs of distress. 

Tony had another problem. He was much too aware of Gibbs. Way too aware that every time he faltered, Gibbs drew a little too close; occasionally placing a steadying hand on his shoulder or a quick touch to his arm. As long as Ziva had been alive, Tony had pushed the attraction he’d felt for Gibbs to the background. He’d told himself he’d imagined Gibbs’ intense looks, that the head slaps and random touches that seemed to come mostly to him, meant nothing special. 

From the time he’d joined the team, he’d known he was making a deal with the devil. He could be around Gibbs, but there had never been any hope anything would ever come of his feelings. Still, those feelings never really left, no matter how many women he’d dated. Given his chosen profession, it was just simpler to keep it mostly to women and to keep any inconvenient details to himself. The most inconvenient detail was, of course, that he had some very unprofessional feelings for Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

That had probably been part of the attraction with Ziva. On the surface, others might not see it, but in some very fundamental ways, Ziva and Gibbs were a lot alike. Both had a strength of character, a taut vigilance about them that resonated at exactly the right frequency for Tony. It wasn’t anything he could articulate. Just a rightness that he’d always felt whenever he was with either of them. They made him feel safe, something Anthony Dinozzo Junior had never felt at any time in his life before meeting Gibbs. 

That feeling had bonded him to Gibbs both professionally and personally, and it would have let him develop the kind of love he’d eventually developed for Ziva, if only Gibbs had given him a hint of encouragement. His feelings for Gibbs had probably kept him from full emotional investment with Ziva, though there had been no way he’d ever have admitted that to her. Still, he was sure she’d known it on some level. If she hadn’t, she would probably never have left him, even though, he’d known for a while she’d needed to leave NCIS. 

Then, of course, there was nothing to keep him from thinking about Gibbs again. Of course, the irony was that Gibbs still had his rules. Rules that made it clear nothing was ever going to happen between them, not even if there were feelings on Gibbs’ side. No matter how many hungry looks seemed to come his way or how displeased Gibbs was any time Tony failed to obey said rules. But Tony didn’t work for Gibbs anymore and Ziva wasn’t ‘somewhere out there’ so he could keep pretending his aloneness was all about her. 

She was gone in the most final way possible. 

After the first few months of raw grief, he was becoming acutely aware that he hadn’t slept with anyone for quite a while even before Ziva’s death. Now, he had spent the better part of a day in the company of the person who’d been the most important person in his world until he’d learned about Tali. At first, fretting about Tali’s safety had occupied his entire psyche. Now, with two men, neither of whom seemed inclined to chatter, Tony had way too much time to think. Tony was trying hard to do what he’d done when he’d worked for Gibbs. Put his feelings in his pocket and do the job at hand.

Out here, there was a simplicity to things that made that much harder. The veneer of civilization had been peeled back. Gibbs was a survivor. There was a physicality to him that was impossible for Tony to ignore. That physicality reminded Tony he was totally out of his element too. Joe Shaw was a younger, somewhat more relaxed version of Gibbs. Both men were watchful but comfortable in the woods. It was as if when the world dropped away, this was who they were, and they were exactly where they belonged. 

They stepped lightly and surely. Tony was acutely aware of how noisily he walked, even when he thought about it. His feet seemed to find every root, to slip on every rock. He found himself constantly readjusting his pack. Tony was the odd man out and he was intensely aware of it. He was the weakest link too and he knew it. He was only out here in this forest because Gibbs had agreed to it, and vouched for him with the Shaws. That and the fact that Tali was his daughter and there was no way he’d let them leave him behind. 

Tony sorely wished that they’d brought more back-up, but the Shaws had made it clear they weren’t going to lead anyone else to Carla while there was any chance their enemy might be someone in the military itself. Carla had trusted Dinozzo, so they were willing to give him and Gibbs a pass. 

Since there was a certain logic to their thinking and he’d known there was no point to it, Gibbs hadn’t argued. He’d simply suited up for war. Meanwhile, back at NCIS HQ, McGee, Bishop and the others were hot on the trail of the enemy. At least Tony hoped that was the case. In less than 24 hours, there had been two separate attacks on Carla and the children, and they still had no answers as to why. So far, all the bodies were those of the enemy. If the source of the attack wasn’t found, it probably wouldn’t stay that way.

“You think we’re close?” asked Tony, finally breaking the silence.

“We’re close to the first possibility. If it were me, I probably would have stayed up there last night, and moved on.”

“So you don’t think we’ll find them?”

“Dunno. If our brother was still with them, they would probably have gone further on, but even this is a long way to come with two kids,” said Joe.

“You’re not kidding,” said Tony. 

“She’ll take care of Tali,” said Joe.

“I know,” said Tony. 

Tony didn’t say more because this trek was demanding enough with just his pack, sleeping bag and weapons. And he wasn’t a one hundred and thirty pound woman carrying weapons, supplies for three, accompanied by two children, one of them still a toddler. He adjusted his pack yet again and took a deep lung full of fresh mountain air. Then without warning he was airborne. It happened so fast, he couldn’t have said what had happened, but his foot had found a soft spot and slid, then the wet dirt and rotted leaves had given way and he’d begun sliding, then rolling down a steep grade, gathering speed, and unable to take a breath or find anything to grab onto as the green of the trees and blue of the sky seemed to blur as he hurtled down the hillside. 

“Oh shit!” Gibbs swore; then yelled. “No!!!”

Even as he watched, Tony rolled out of his line of sight over a steeper face of the hillside.

“Go! I’ll catch up to you,” said Joe.

Gibbs shed his pack against a tree off the pathway, and tracked the trail of broken brush and disturbed ground, moving as fast as he could, making a zig zag path on firmer, less steep ground, slipping and sliding and using what brush or small trees he encountered to steady himself so he didn’t fall too. Joe stowed his own pack and followed Gibbs at a slower pace. Gibbs caught sight of Tony’s Blue jacket, frighteningly still, and moved sideways across the hillside, trying not to slide on the last twenty feet of loose ground in to the hollow at the foot of the grade. 

Tony was on his side, facing away from Gibbs. He’d taken quite a beating, but he couldn’t feel anything that stood out as more serious. Nevertheless, he was still in that state of shock and surprise that accompanies an accident of any degree of seriousness and so he just lay there at the bottom of the hill, trying to catch his breath and gather his wits. 

“Oh god no,” muttered Gibbs, as he reached Tony’s side. 

Gibbs squatted down, and put his hand on Tony’s neck, feeling for a pulse. Tony’s pulse was strong and fast, the pulse of someone who’d received the scare of his life. Gibbs breath came out in a relieved sigh.

“M OK, Gibbs,” said Tony, his voice sounding uncertain and higher than usual.

“Thank God,” said Gibbs, his squat turned abruptly to kneeling on the rough ground, as the tension that had been holding him up gave way. His hand remained on Tony’s shoulder for a moment, gripping it a bit more tightly than strictly necessary.

Then Tony forced himself into a sitting position, turning to face Gibbs.

“Can’t get rid of me that easy!” he quipped.

Tony forced himself to joke to assure both of them he was fine.

“Not funny,” said Gibbs.

“You’re not wrong, boss. That was the fastest downhill I ever did without skis! Most painful too!”

“You OK, Tony?” asked Joe.

“Yeah. Took a header down a mountain and I didn’t even get a T-shirt!”

“Probably gonna need one,” said Joe dryly, indicating the rip in the shoulder where his shirt had caught on something. “That was some scary shit, man!” 

“You’re not kidding! Let’s just get back on the road,” said Tony, forcing himself to clamber to his feet, though his legs felt shaky and jelly-like and he wasn’t sure he would be able to walk, much less climb back up the hill.

“Gimmie your pack,” said Joe. “Here. Found your weapon.”

Tony took the gun, assured himself it was still operational, and strapped it back on, and zipped his jacket up over his now damp, muddy shirt. He shrugged the battered, muddy pack off without argument, handing it to Joe. That would make things much easier. 

“Thanks.”

Joe just nodded and gave him a half smile.

The mountain Tony had just come down the hard way was steep, even taking the longer, less precipitous way back up. Even though, by some miracle, he didn’t appear to have broken any bones, Tony’s entire body hurt a great deal and he knew it wasn’t going to hurt less once he’d hiked a few more miles carrying his gear. Even a brief respite was something to be savored. 

 

_____

 

It took them twenty minutes to get back to the original path and underway again. Another twenty minutes and Tony could hear the sound of water.

“We’re here,” said Joe. “I think this is as far as we should go tonight.”

“I need to get to Tali,” said Tony.

“ _You_ need a good night’s sleep and a shot of whiskey,” said Joe.

“He’s right,” said Gibbs.

“We’re gonna camp here?”

“No. This is too exposed. There’s a cave,” said Joe. “It’s dry and you can’t see in.”

“A cave?” 

Tony really didn’t like the sound of that. He was acutely aware of both Joe and Gibbs watching him, so he said nothing.

“Here,” said Joe, walking up to the exposed, rocky face of the mountain, and seeming to vanish.

“What the hell?” Tony striding over to where Joe had just been, and discovering a sort of crease in the rock, which completely hid an opening between two rocks until one was right up on it.

“In here,” said Joe. 

Tony picked his way between the narrow opening in the rocks, following the gently sloping path downward, finding himself walking parallel to the rock face, but now completely hidden from the path he’d been on only moments before. Abruptly, the path ended, and he found himself facing an opening in the rock face, about seven feet high but only about four feet wide. Joe was nowhere to be seen. 

“Wow!” he said. “A big black hole. Just what I need for Christmas!”

“Hey!” said Joe, stepping back out of the shadow. 

“That isn’t where we’re sleeping, is it?” 

“Well, not right here, but yeah,” said Joe, amused. 

“You’re sure there’s nothing hiding in there waiting to eat us?”

“No,” said Joe, looking amused. “But that’s why I have this.”

Joe indicated the rifle slung comfortably over his shoulder.

“Wonderful,” said Tony.

“Well, look at it this way, if there’s something in there, we can always kill it and eat it,” said Joe.

“Yeah, unless it kills us and eats us first,” said Tony.

“Not gonna let anything eat you, Dinozzo,” said Gibbs, who had moved so quietly, Tony jumped at the sound of his voice right next to his ear. Joe grinned and Gibbs chuckled.

“Thanks Boss!”

Joe stepped into the gloom, weapon at the ready, and Tony reluctantly followed. Unexpectedly, he heard a bird calling up ahead. In the distance was an answering call.

“They’re here,” said Joe, suddenly stopped in front of him.

“Here?” 

“Carla. She’s here with the girls,” said Joe. 

The cave entrance might have been small, but the cave was anything but. In fact, it was nothing like Tony had anticipated. The darkness he’d expected when he’d clicked on his flashlight had been fleeting. At some point, probably centuries in the past, the roof of the cave had been worn through by water and there were gaps in the rocky mountain where sunlight filtered down. As his eyes adjusted to the lower light, Tony realized there was quite a large open area. To the right was a pool of water, deep blue in the filtered sunlight. To the left, and contiguous with the path they had been walking, a rocky ledge sloped gently upward and away into darkness. 

“Abba!” A voice cried from the gloom. 

“Tali!” Tony was running, in spite of his aches and pains, and exhaustion. He grabbed up his daughter, and held her tightly. “I’m so glad you’re OK!”

“Abba! Mithed you, Daddy!”

“Hello, Tony,” said Carla.

Even in the low light, he could see the ugly bruises that covered her face.

“Oh my god, what the hell did they do to you?”

“Think I look better than they do, Tony!” said Carla, looking tired, but undaunted.

“Well, yeah, you left them kinda d…”

He trailed off, suddenly aware of his daughter in his arms, and the ten year old Nami standing stoic beside Carla, comfortable with her rifle, the stock of which rested on her boots.

“She killed them,” said Nami, evenly, maybe a little too calmly. “She killed them and saved us.”

“Yes, she did. She’s very brave,” said Gibbs.

“Yes, she’s good at saving people,” said Nami, clearly proud. 

“She saved you in Iraq too,” said Joe. “How are you doing out here?”

“I like it when we go camping,” said Nami. “This is scarier though.”

“Yes it is,” said Tony. “My friends in DC are looking for the bad guys.”

“Thank you Uncle Tony,” said Nami. “I really don’t like them.”

_______

 

“You two should sleep now. Joe and I will take first watch,” said Gibbs.

Tony didn’t really like that arrangement, but he saw the logic of it. Carla hadn’t really slept much in the last twenty four hours. He’d taken a short trip down the long, steep side of a mountain and they’d dosed him with bourbon as the Tylenol wore off, and wrapped his bruised, scratched hands with some smelly plants. So here he was, dozing though it was barely dark. He found he was surprisingly comfortable in a sleeping bag, inside a tent, in the side pocket of a mountain. His daughter and Nami were fast asleep in the tent they shared with Carla. The sounds of the water and other ‘nature’ sounds Tony really couldn’t identify were surprisingly soothing and soon, Tony was dead to the world.

_______

 

“Should we wake them?” asked Joe.

“Let them sleep,” said Gibbs. “They’ve been through enough. Besides, if we wake Carla, it’ll disturb the girls. Maybe tomorrow she can sleep in your tent while you take watch?”

“Yeah, makes sense. Tony’s real beat up. Gonna feel that tumble tomorrow,” said Joe.

“Unfortunately,” said Gibbs. 

“City boy?”

“Yup,” said Gibbs. “He was a cop before he came to work for me.”

“Seems like a good guy,” said Joe.

“The best,” said Gibbs.

__________

 

The following day passed uneventfully. They’d decided to stay in the mountain for the short term. It wasn’t a popular part of the forest, because the trails to the cave were old and rough and it really was in the middle of nowhere. They had water. They had a dry, relatively comfortable place to hide and it was about as defensible as anything else that didn’t require a huge trek with two small children. Some of the locals knew the area, but most casual visitors, even those who happened on the barely-there trail that Joe had brought them along, never noticed the entrance to the cave. Blackie and Carla had found this spot as teenagers always looking for somewhere to climb, and introduced their younger brothers to it. They’d actually discovered it from above, where the rocks were a treacherous climb; and only a few, very fit people ever attempted it. 

From the air, the crevasse was barely discernable beneath the scrub trees and brush that grew everywhere. To be safe, all their gear was kept hidden from anyone who might look down into the crevasse. They only came out onto the edge of the pool that flowed out of the rock when they needed water. The ceiling of the overhang was high enough that light filtered in and though it wasn’t bright, it was light enough for most activities.

“You like it up here, don’t you, Boss?” asked Tony as he watched Gibbs quickly skin a rabbit that Joe had killed earlier, carefully separating the waste from the meat. 

“It’s quiet,” said Gibbs. 

“Yes, it is,” said Tony. “No radio, TV, nothing.” 

“If we weren’t hiding, sis would probably be singing,” said Joe. 

“She’s a good singer,” said Nami. “She taught me all the songs from church, when we were still in Iraq.”

“You go to church?”

“Her family was Christian,” said Carla.

“Oh… I didn’t know,” said Tony. “I just assumed she would be...”

“You never asked,” said Carla. “You didn’t seem to care, so I didn’t bring it up. The idea that she could be a Muslim… well, it upset some people when I first came back.”

“People are idiots,” said Tony.

“You’re not wrong,” said Carla. “When they started shooting up the place, I wondered if it wasn’t just some extremist nutcase.”

“You were right about the nutcase part,” said Joe.

“Then I heard them talking about ‘getting her’ and I knew that there was someone specific they had to be after. I realized I was cornered on the stairs, and the only thing I could get my hands on without them hearing me, was my K-Bar that I keep in the in the spare room safe.”

“Why didn’t you get a gun?” asked Tony.

“They would have heard the door to my room open and close and they might have shot up the floor. The safe lock is electronic and I knew I could get it open quietly.”

“What about the girls?” asked Tony, gently stroking the head of his sleeping daughter.

“To be honest, Tony, at that point, I thought they were dead,” said Carla. “I’d gone to the bathroom and left Nami and Tali in the living room for less than a minute, when the whole of the downstairs exploded in automatic weapon’s fire. It was only after I got the second one down for the count and made sure he was dead, that I realized there wasn’t anyone else and started looking for them. At first, I thought for sure that they’d been kidnapped, but the bad guys’ car was still in my driveway, so I was hoping it had just been the two of them, and I started to search the house. When I found Tali’s little stuffed dinosaur under the kitchen table, I thought maybe they could be in the basement.”

“Yeah, because she never lets go of that thing without a fight,” said Tony.

“Well, she dropped it as Nami was carrying her and Nami kicked it under the table to hide it because she didn’t have time to stop and pick it up.”

“Well, Nami, I am really glad you’re so smart,” said Tony. “You saved my daughter.”

“I just did what Carla did for me the night my old house was attacked,” said Nami, ever stoic.

Carla pulled her close, kissing the top of the little girl’s head, and Nami hugged her close. “You did good, baby!” said Carla.

“Yes, you did,” said Gibbs.

“I’m going to be a Marine when I grow up,” said Nami. “Just like mommy.”

“You go girl!” said Tony.

“Oorah!” said Joe.

“Oorah!” said the little girl, high-fiving her uncle.

Gibbs just smiled and said nothing.

_______

 

“We think the explosion that killed Lt. Shaw’s fiancé was supposed to stop him from revealing the truth,” said Bishop.

“Lt. Shaw had a fiancé?” 

“Yes, sir,” said McGee. “He was killed in Iraq six months before she was injured saving the little girl she adopted.”

“I still don’t get why she’s targeted,” said Vance. “She had nothing to do with the massacre, right?”

“Not as far as we can tell,” said Bishop. “Neither did her fiancé. As far as we have been able to discover, he was killed because of what he found out, and this has only come to light in the last couple of weeks when certain evidence made its way to Congress.”

“Evidence?”

“Apparently, he’d mailed documents and photographs,” said Bishop. “Somehow they made it to the Capitol where they were misplaced in the mailroom for half a decade. The Senate Armed Forces Committee has only just announced their intention to have hearings.” 

“Bishop, I’m afraid I still don’t get the connection. Why exactly would they target her?” asked Vance.

“We don’t know, sir,” said McGee. “They must believe she knows something.”

“If she knew something, wouldn’t she have revealed it?” asked Vance.

“Not unless she didn’t know she knew…” McGee began.

“Or… she didn’t know what she had!” said Bishop, suddenly realizing something that hadn’t occurred to her before. “She was his next of kin. He didn’t have any family. She would have received his personal effects, sir.”

“Now, that would certainly make sense,” said Vance. “Make sure the house is properly secured and not just as a crime scene. I want you to go over everything with a fine tooth comb. If you find anything, bring it straight to me. Do not discuss this case with anyone else.”

“Yes sir,” said McGee.

“We understand, sir,” said Bishop.

 

_________

 

The quiet was beginning to grow on Tony. The only things he really missed were indoor plumbing and fresh fruit. He’d be happy if he never ate another MRI, but venison and rabbit was just fine with him, especially since no one had asked him to help clean the carcasses. His daughter seemed to be taking the whole adventure in stride. Despite an age difference that meant the two girls had very little in common besides their situation, they seemed to be bonding. Tali followed Nami everywhere. Nami took her big sister role very seriously. 

“I can’t believe how well she’s adjusted,” said Tony. “I thought she’d be afraid or bored, but she loves it up here.”

“Children adapt,” said Gibbs, looking off into an unseen distance. 

“What choice do they have?” said Tony, thinking of his own childhood. 

“Not many,” said Gibbs. “I’m not sure they’d be better protected in some safe house in the city.”

“Maybe they would be, but I bet Tali would be stir crazy already,” said Tony.

“She’s her mother’s daughter,” said Gibbs.

“Yeah,” said Tony. “More and more every day.”

“Still can’t believe she’s gone,” said Gibbs.

“Yeah, bet you wish she was here,” said Tony.

“Don’t you?” asked Gibbs.

“Well, yes, of course,” said Tony. “I just meant she would be way better at all this than me.”

“I’m glad you’re here, Tony.” 

Gibbs leaned closer, his voice soft enough to melt... something. Tony had no idea what to say, so he squirmed a little against his comfortable rock and said nothing.

______

 

Tony and Carla had second watch. The moon was high and even though it was after midnight, the night was clear and visibility was good. 

“Ever thought you’d be spending your holiday in the wilderness?” asked Carla.

“I would barely remember when it was if it weren’t for Tali. This is supposed to be our first Hanukah and Christmas together. This year the first night of Hanukkah is Christmas eve… and I have nothing for her for either.”

“I’m sorry,” said Carla. 

“Well, you kept her safe, so I’m grateful for that. No kid should have to survive two attacks in one year,” said Tony.

“I’m so sorry about that, Tony! I’m sorry I brought her out here without giving you a choice… I just… I had no idea who the target was…”

“You did the right thing. We probably could have kept you safe if you’d gotten to us… assuming you survived the trip.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure who I trust outside you and my family… and now Gibbs…”

Who is family. He thought it, but he couldn’t bring himself to articulate the words.

“I trust Gibbs with my life,” he said instead.

“I can tell,” said Carla.

“By rights, I shouldn’t be here with him,” said Tony. 

“But he brought you anyway,” said Carla.

“Yes,” said Tony. 

“I’m glad,” said Carla.

_________

 

Ken Ford was exhausted. Exhausted people make mistakes. A daughter with cancer and a full time job he had to keep going to if his daughter was to keep her insurance meant that Ken Ford was dead on his feet as he hurriedly backed his Chevy Silverado out of a space the architect had probably meant for a Corolla. When his heavy truck hit Carla’s Tahoe, it gave even the solidly built SUV a decent jolt.

The resulting explosion made every window on the south side of King’s Daughters Hospital rattle and set off car alarms all over the parking lot. Anyone ambulatory was at the window within moments. In the patient parking lot, the large black SUV was fully aflame. Ken Ford staggered toward the Emergency Department entrance just as Lenny ‘Blackie’ Shaw managed to make it to the window, in spite of being less than twelve hours out of surgery and in a great deal of pain. Even as he watched, firefighters and other emergency personnel came boiling out of the emergency department and the various vehicles in the parking lot. Someone had a stretcher, and a group of them helped load the unsteady man onto it, even as a firetruck that had pulled around the building began to dowse the fire, first with extinguishers and then hoses. The incident was under control remarkably quickly. 

“That’s my sister’s truck!” said Blackie, as he made his way into the corridor and toward the nurse’s station, painfully, but as fast as he could make himself move. “Someone just blew up my sister’s truck. Nurse! I need to talk to the police!”

________

 

“Carla Shaw’s SUV just blew up at King’s Daughters Hospital,” said McGee.

“She’s dead?” asked Vance. 

“No one was in the truck, sir,” said McGee. “Her brother drove it to the hospital when he was shot. It was in the parking lot. A visitor hit it backing out of a spot. It blew off the back of his own truck and set two other cars on fire. Other than ruptured eardrums, no one was seriously hurt.”

“And now we know how they found them,” said Bishop.

“Explain,” said Vance.

“They must have put a tracker on her truck,” said Bishop. 

“We need to wind this up soon, before anyone else gets hurt, sir,” said McGee. “Whoever is doing this has serious resources. I’m thinking it goes higher than just a bunch of Marines on a rampage.”

“I think you’re right,” said Vance. “I know he’s still recovering, but he should be able to use his contacts and work discreetly on the phone…”

“I’ll call Fornell,” said McGee.

“I want you to call Fornell,” said Vance at exactly the same moment.

________

 

“If she testifies, we all go to prison,” said the officer behind the antique desk in the office of his very nice McClean mansion.

“If we keep going after them, we’re gonna run out of people, sir,” said another.

“We don’t even know if she’s their witness,” said a third man.

“Who else would it be? Jackson is long dead!”

“But no one ever found a body, right?” said the officer.

“The fire burned too hot. There were a half-dozen people in the building. They never collected any remains for any of them.”

“And anyway, that was five years ago. If he was alive, he would have turned up by now.”

“Well, I want you to find her and take her out. She’s the last connection to Jackson. From what I’ve been able to learn, the pictures and the documents they have only prove that a bunch of those Islamic bastards died ugly. They don’t really prove that we were there.”

“Well, somehow they got all our names in their list.”

“And three of us are already dead.”

“I don’t see you going out there, sir.”

“Don’t be forgetting your place, kid. I’m the one who buried this whole thing in the first place. I could have left the whole lot of you twisting…”

“Respectfully, sir, it’s not as if you don’t have blood on your own hands.”

“Do I need to explain the concept of respect to you?”

“No sir.”

“Glad to hear it. Now, get out of here. I don’t want to explain you two miscreants to my wife and the birthday guests.”

“Yes sir.”

“And Michaels?”

“Sir?”

“Next time you plant a bomb, make sure it goes off while the bitch is still in the vehicle, not 24 hours later in a hospital parking lot!”

“Yes sir.”

________

 

“So we have ID on the bomb maker?” asked Vance.

“Yup, one big fat thumb print. Don’t know what he was thinking,” said McGee. 

“That a bomb that big would take out so much and burn so hot there wouldn’t be anything left,” said Bishop.

“Well, it burned pretty hot. Unfortunately for him, the fire department had a truck in the lot waiting to pick up one of their paramedics. Thanks to the brother, we had forensics on the ground collecting evidence within the hour. The fire department was more than happy to hand it off to us.”

“Well, that’s good, because we finally have an ID for someone who’s still alive,” said Vance. “Maybe we can pick him up…”

“He’s been listed as AWOL,” said McGee. “We put out an APB on him, but we don’t have a single lead.”

“Well, at least we know what he looks like,” said Vance. “Find him.”

_______

 

“You really eat this stuff?” asked Tony.

“Yes, we do,” said Gibbs. “It’s wild mustard. We can put it in the rabbit stew along with the wild garlic.”

“You guys are way too good at this stuff,” said Tony. 

“Survival?” 

“Yes—No, just being a country boy… and girl,” said Tony. “You know the forest better than I know my spice rack.”

“Stillwater still has plenty of wilds,” said Gibbs. “Spent a lot of time in the woods.”

“I wish… Sometimes I wish I had grown up in a place like this,” said Tony.

“You do?” 

“Yeah. Weird but true! The wilds I spent my life avoiding are growing on me.”

“You’ve always been a resourceful man, Tony,” said Gibbs. “I’m not surprised you’re beginning to feel comfortable out here.”

Since when had Gibbs started calling him by his first name? Should he call him Jethro? 

“I suppose,” said Tony.

“It’s one of the things I always respected about you,” said Gibbs, carefully cutting the heads off something that Tony now recognized. Watercress. 

Amazing the things you could find out here even in December if you knew what was edible. Of course, it helped a great deal that though it was getting colder, it hadn’t really frozen yet. 

“It’s one of the things I miss at the office. That and your annoying sense of humor.”

“Interesting logic,” said Tony, smirking.

“Yes,” said Gibbs, smug, slightly amused.

Tony felt even more off balance. 

“I miss you guys,” said Tony.

“You want to come back?”

“I… no. You know I can’t,” said Tony. 

“Yes,” said Gibbs, inscrutable. 

“You want me to?”

“Well…” Gibbs stare was intense.

“What?” asked Tony.

“Forget it,” said Gibbs, turning and walking away, so the distance between them was now measured in yards instead of inches.

“No,” said Tony, following him. “I don’t think I can do that.”

“When this is over…” said Gibbs.

“When this is over, what?”

“I can’t do this,” said Gibbs.

“Can’t do _what_?” 

Tony was standing too close to Gibbs for good manners, but he couldn’t help himself.

“This,” said Gibbs. 

Gibbs kissed him. Then he vanished into the bushes, leaving Tony standing there.

 

_________

 

“What’s bothering you?” asked Carla.

“I can’t talk about it,” said Tony.

“Which is exactly why you need to,” said Carla.

“I—don’t think…” 

“You don’t think we’d approve?”

“Approve?”

“Come on, man! We’re not blind, deaf, dumb or particularly stupid,” said Carla. “Even the girls sense it.”

Good old Carla. Always cutting through the bullshit. Stupid Tony. Always liked that in people. Except for when they called him on his bullshit. 

“Oh,” said Tony. 

“Notice you’re not denying it,” said Carla, sticking the knife in. “That’s a good thing. Because your daughter loves him too.” And there was that nice, painful twist!

“She does,” said Tony, staring at the water and blinking hard.

“So it seems to me you have a decision to make,” said Carla reasonably. 

“This isn’t a choice I ever expected to have,” said Tony. “Where I worked… and I like women… a lot, actually.”

“But you love him, right?”

“Yes,” said Tony, surprising himself with the certainty of his admission.

“Well, then,” said Carla. “Don’t waste it. Trust me when I say; life is too fucking short.”

“What happened?”

“I loved someone. More than life itself. His name was Trevor. We got a lot of grief for it, and in a small town… well, what people say can really screw with your life… but we got a second chance and we didn’t waste it.”

“He’s dead?”

“Yeah,” said Carla. “He’s dead. Iraq. Six months before Haron and Sara. Wouldn’t have survived that without them.”

“I’m sorry,” said Tony. 

“So don’t be an idiot,” said Carla, staring off into the distance. “Blackie would tell you the same thing. His wife and son were killed by a drunk driver on the bridge to Harper’s Ferry two weeks after he came back from Afghanistan.”

“Oh god,” said Tony. 

“You’ve lost enough, and if I read between the lines, I’m gonna guess he’s lost a lot too. A man that hot doesn’t end up single at his age without a damn good reason.”

Tony couldn’t disagree with that particular assessment.

“He lost his wife and daughter,” said Tony. “He doesn’t talk about them.”

“Maybe you can give him a reason to,” said Carla. “Or just give him a reason, period.”

“Maybe.”

______

 

Things can go very slowly and become almost boring. Even when you’re avoiding someone you love and there’s no real way to get away from them. Tali seemed to sense that something was wrong. She would curl up next to Tony even more than usual. When she wasn’t next to him, she was with Gibbs, who spent most of the time he was actually in camp, whittling little toy animals out of wood for the two girls. Three more days had passed, which meant it was now Christmas eve–eve. 

Tony’s feelings were in turmoil. On the one hand, he finally had confirmation that the feelings weren’t all on his side. On the other, Gibbs now refused to occupy the same space with him except when they were eating and he spoke even less than usual. He’d made the first move, but now, he refused to talk to Tony and even their friendship seemed as though it might be in jeopardy. Joe tried to talk to him – about watch schedules, but Gibbs had gone almost non-verbal and even Joe had given up. 

That was why, against his better judgment, Tony followed Gibbs from the camp at dawn even though he’d been on second watch, and hadn’t had anything like enough sleep.

“Why are you following me?” asked Gibbs.

“We need to talk,” said Tony.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“It can wait,” said Gibbs.

“No, it can’t,” said Tony. “This situation is making us less safe. I get that you’re not comfortable with what you did, but whatever is going on with us… it’s making everyone tense, and we can’t afford distractions.”

“That’s why it should never have happened. I fucked up.”

“Well, it _did_ happen,” said Tony. “And I, for one, am damn glad it finally did.”

Gibbs stared at him. 

“Why? It could never work.”

“Why not? We don’t work together. There’s none of your rules against it, unless you made a new one you didn’t tell me about… Hell, even the military has married same sex couples now.”

“It’s not that,” said Gibbs.

“Then what?”

“You don’t need anyone so broken,” said Gibbs.

“Have you seen me?” asked Tony. “Have you seen just how fucked up my life has been?”

“You’re still young. You could get married and have children…”

“I already have a child,” said Tony. “She’s more than enough.”

“Don’t you want a family? You know… wife, two point five children, picket fence… ”

“I was never sure about that, Gibbs… Jethro… Can I call you Jethro? I mean, since you’re calling me Tony now…”

Tony felt as if he was teetering on the edge of a very high ledge. It wasn’t a comfortable feeling at all. 

“What? Sure. Call me whatever you want, Tony,” said Gibbs.

“How’s stubborn bastard for ya?”

“Juvenile,” said Gibbs.

“And you’re being adult about everything, of course,” said Tony.

“No, I suppose not,” said Gibbs, sighing. “Only one person I made sure not to let in. One person I didn’t want to get under my skin.”

“Why me?”

“Because you make it not dark.”

“Then why are you acting like a teenage schoolgirl with a crush?”

Gibbs gave him one of his patented dirty looks. Tony smirked at him.

“You gonna answer the question?”

“Because I don’t want to fuck up your life.”

“Is that why you’re the only person from the office who hasn’t been to my new house?”

“Yes.”

“Anyone ever tell you you’re an idiot?”

“Fornell, mostly.”

“Smart man,” said Tony.

“Not smart enough to stop sleeping on my couch and give me back my house.”

“I think you’re lonely,” said Tony, stepping into his personal space. “Or you would have thrown him out long ago.”

“Probably right.”

This time it was Tony who initiated the kiss.

_________

 

It was mid-morning when the sound of gunfire had them racing back to camp. They were making their way into the cave mouth as quietly as they could, when a voice spoke softly from the shadow.

“One of you Dinozzo?”

“Who wants to know?”

“Trevor Jackson,” said the man, his extremely dark complexion making his features hard to see in the gloom. “I’m Carla’s fiancé.”

“He’s dead,” said Tony.

“Long story. Explanations later. We need a plan.”

“Shoot the bastards?” Tony said.

“I’m good with that,” said the man, his white teeth gleaming in the half-light. 

“Any idea how many of them we’re dealing with?” asked Gibbs.

“There’s only three left including the colonel… unless he hired mercenaries.”

“Let’s hope not,” said Tony. “Cover us, Jethro?”

“You got it,” said Gibbs, understanding immediately that Tony wasn’t quite ready to take the man’s word that he was who he said he was.

The men hugged the shadows as they moved forward. The fire was intense and it was hard to tell directionality. Then Tony heard a familiar sound next to him. Birdcall. For a moment the gunfire faltered. Then suddenly it all seemed directed their way, and they hit the ground. Tony heard Gibbs swear softly behind him, but he couldn’t afford to turn back to look. He and the man calling himself Jackson crawled forward, firing as much as they could. He was relieved to realize Gibbs was still putting down suppressing fire.

Someone unseen shot one of their assailants. Gibbs got another. Then Tony heard Carla scream, banshee like, followed by sounds of a scuffle and yelling:

“Gotcha, you mother fucking murdering piece of shit! You did this! You killed Trevor too, didn’t you? You picked on the wrong girl, you fucking asshole bastard!”

There was the almost speedbag-rapid sound of fists on flesh even as she continued to yell. Tony and Trevor scrambled to their feet and cautiously made their way back into the camp, followed by Gibbs. On the ground were two dead assailants, one of whom had taken Gibbs’ bullet through his right eye. The only survivor was an older man who had a minor arm wound, and who was rapidly being hogtied within an inch of his life by the angry blonde Marine on top of him. The captive seemed on the edge of consciousness. His face was a mess. Carla’s fists were bloody. In spite of the blood, Tony thought he looked familiar. Some nominee for some important Pentagon position, he couldn’t remember for what. Anxiety put further thoughts about the man out of his head as Tony realized that Joe and the girls were nowhere to be seen. He glanced around anxiously. 

“You OK?” asked Gibbs. “We brought…” 

“Trevor?” Carla was somehow right there in front of them. “How?”

“Blowed up. Captured. Got freed. Came home.” 

The need for verbal communication seemed thus to have been fulfilled. Boy smirked. Raised eyebrows. Girl smirked back, tears streaming down her face. Then the very large, dark Marine suddenly had his arms full of a much smaller, blonder one. He seemed to have no complaints about the arms and legs that had fastened themselves around him, his long arms automatically cradling her.

“We-ell, it looks like we’re gonna have us Christmas in spite of these bastards,” said Joe, who had Nami by the hand and was carrying Tali out of the gloom.

“Tali!” said Tony, rushing forward to claim his daughter, who seemed remarkably unfazed by the whole thing. She actually smiled a very muddy, very Ziva-like smile up at him.

“Nami hid them in the tunnel like we practiced,” said Joe. 

“Thank you, Nami.”

Nami didn’t notice him.

“Uncle Trevor?”

“You remember him?” asked Tony.

“No, but Mommy has his picture next to her bed,” said Nami, never taking her eyes off the couple who appeared to have lost all ability to differentiate between private and public kissing technique. “Sometimes I have nightmares and she lets me sleep with her. She always talks to him when she thinks I’m asleep.”

Joe and Tony exchanged a look.

“I think mommy’s very happy today,” said Tony, clearing his throat loudly.

“Nami…” said Carla, “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.” 

__________

 

“So this is your preliminary report, Gibbs?” Vance gave Gibbs a thoughtful look.

“Yes,” he said. “It was a joint operation. Bishop put two and two together. She and Fornell developed the intel, and they worked with backchannels to get the Iranians to release Jackson by convincing them he hadn’t actually strayed over their border and wasn’t a spy; but had been brought there by Al Qaeda operatives who’d taken him from Iraqi villagers who’d been caring for him after the fire. Admitting publicly to that kind of incompetence is the last thing they want.”

“And they were, of course, especially happy to release someone who’s going to testify to American military misdeeds and poke the US government in the eye?” said Vance, giving Gibbs the stink eye.

“McGee and Bishop just used what they had, Leon,” said Gibbs, trying not to sound too pleased. “It’s also in our interest to root out bad actors.”

“Of course it is, Gibbs,” said Vance. “I just prefer we don’t give our enemies talking points.”

“I prefer our enemies don’t keep an American hero in one of their prisons for even a minute,” said Gibbs.

“Point,” said Vance.

“That everything?” asked Gibbs.

“You in a hurry to go someplace?”

“We’re headed up to the farm for Christmas.”

“We? The farm?”

“Tony, Tali and me, Leon,” said Gibbs, his expression carefully neutral. There was plenty of time for the big reveal after the holidays. Abby, Ducky and his team had already figured it out and were supportive. That was all he really needed. “The Shaw Farm.”

Vance leaned back in his chair and regarded Gibbs for a long moment, clearly not quite satisfied with his answers, but unable to come up with the right questions.

“Well, Merry Christmas, Gibbs,” said Vance, sighing. “Give my best wishes to Dinozzo and his little girl.”

“I will,” said Gibbs, trying and failing to keep the contented smile off his face. “Merry Christmas to you too, Leon.”

“What about rule twelve?” Vance muttered as the door closed behind Gibbs.

“Doesn’t matter anymore,” said Gibbs to himself smugly, too softly for Vance to hear.

__________

 

The sound of happy children and the laughter of relaxed adults mixed with the fainter sounds of the fire and the TV in the kitchen that was playing the Nightmare before Christmas. Leroy Jethro Gibbs was standing on the otherwise unoccupied farm house porch, looking out at the trees and fields that were lightly coated with sparkly white. His breath left little white puffs, but the cold wasn’t unbearable. The sky above was an absolutely brilliant blue. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a family Christmas that hadn’t been mostly made up of his team. Or the last time he’d truly felt as though we wasn’t fundamentally alone, in spite of friends who he’d gladly die for, and who he knew would take a bullet for him. 

This thing with Tony. If he were honest with himself, it had been going on for a long, long time. Back in Baltimore, even. He just hadn’t been willing to let it happen. Of course, maybe if he had, it might have ended just as badly as all his other relationships. Because this was the first time since he’d lost Kelly and Shannon that he’d felt whole enough to offer anyone enough of himself that it just might have a chance. The first time he could look in the mirror and not see something utterly broken looking back… but even so, he hadn’t been quite ready to let go of that persona until he’d been dragged, kicking and… well, not quite screaming.

“A penny for those thoughts,” said Tony, hugging him gently from behind. 

“Just thinking that things happen when they’re supposed to,” said Gibbs.

“Is that so?” asked Tony. 

“Yup,” said Gibbs. 

“Well, it’s time for dinner,” said Tony. “Lenny’s back from the hospital with Blackie, and both the ham and the turkey are done.”

“I think it’s going to be a good Christmas,” said Gibbs, allowing himself to relax into the arms that held him closer.

“Very good, even,” said Tony softly.

“Definitely.”

_____

NOTE: This is my first (and probably only) Dinozzo/Gibbs pairing. I very much hope that my SeSa recipient enjoys it. I did my best and I had fun getting into Dinozzo's head, something I've never done before. This story was nothing like the one I envisioned when I wrote the first paragraph.

Disclaimer: I do not, obviously, own the NCIS series or franchise, more's the pity! It would be nice to have a hit TV show and also be rich!


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